“First Position,” directed by Bess Kargman, is a movie documentary about children preparing for one of the most globally prestigious ballet competitions, the Youth America Grand Pix.
For the seven kids portrayed in this documentary, ballet is more than just a hobby. In fact, the kids and their families spend a majority of their time, money and emotion towards the competitive art. They are truly in love with ballet, and they are not just competing for the recognition, but to carve out the future path of their lives. The seven participants have similar traits, including enthusiasm, and being perfectionists.
The Youth America Grand Prix starts out with five thousand participants, and ends with just 300 remaining for the finals. The contest doesn’t end with just one winner; in fact, there are several awards in the form of trophies, company contracts and scholarships.
One of the kids featured in this movie is Aran Bell, an 11 year old American who lives with his family in Italy. Aran says he loves “ballet so much it hard to explain.”
Another story is that of Michaela DePrince, 14 years old, who came from Sierra Leone as a war orphan. She was adopted by a Philadelphian family. Back in Sierra Leone, she mentioned that “everywhere you looked, you saw someone die for no reason.” She also has to constantly struggle against the “black girls can’t dance ballet” prejudice.
The movie currently has no MPAA rating yet. It runs at an hour and thirty minutes.